Top Cover: A Viking 1 and 2 double canceled launch cover with a special Martin Marietta black rubber stamp cachet.

Bottom Cover: A double canceled cover for the Viking B/Titan-3E/Centaur rollout and Viking B launch. Ken Havekotte, of SpaceCoast Cover Service, produced this and many other covers for various Viking pre-launch tests and events, as well as post-landing covers.

Top Cover: A JPL Stamp Club cacheted cover commemorating the Viking 2 Mars landing, with "NASA's First Lander on Mars" slogan cancel.

Bottom Cover: An official Ames Research Center Stamp Club rubber stamp cacheted cover, double canceled for the Viking 1 Mars landing, and two years later, a First Day of Issue cancel applied for the "Viking Missions to Mars" commemorative stamp.

Ross

The Viking spacecraft like all of NASA's deep space probes are tracked by NASA's Deep Space Network consisting of three tracking stations spaced approximately 120 degrees apart. One of those is the Honeysuckle Creek/Tidbinbilla complex located just outside Canberra, Australia. Below is a cover from that station.

albatron

VERY nice stuff. Has anyone ever tried to get some of the principle people to sign them? Any suggestions?

Charlie16

I have this cover since years, anyone knows the signatures?

yeknom-ecaps

James Martin and Calvin Broome were NASA Langley project managers for the Viking project. I don't know the third person.

It's nice to know there is always someone who has the answers to your questions.Thanks Robert!

Bob M

quote:Originally posted by albatron:VERY nice stuff. Has anyone ever tried to get some of the principle people to sign them? Any suggestions?

Personally, way back then I did acquire a fair number of autographs of the principle scientists and engineers involved in the two Viking missions. But with the Viking missions taking place over 35 years ago, I wonder how many of the individuals are still available and can be located for autographs?

I had one cover signed by 17 of the people involved, including Gentry Lee, Tobias Owen, Harold Masursky and Michael Carr. Also another cover signed by Thomas Mutch, who was the Viking Lander Imaging team leader, but sadly was killed in 1980 while on a climbing expedition in the Himalayas.

Possibly some research using Google would turn up a lot of names and locations.

LaurieS

quote:Originally posted by Charlie16:I have this cover since years, anyone knows the signatures?

My dad is Kermit Watkins. That is his signature no doubt. Just for your info, he will be 94 on Sept. 6th 2013. He still lives 2 miles from JPL. He is amazing.

micropooz

Wow! And welcome to collectSPACE, Laurie!

Please tell us more about your Dad!!!

fredtrav

I have various Viking covers signed by dozens of project managers, engineers, dir. launch vehicles, etc. Signatures includes James Martin, Viking Project Manager; Dr. Soffen, Viking Project chief scientist; head of the science team, at least four members of the imaging team, Wright and Sands, one signed by six at NASA HQ, one signed by eight from Langley, one by four from JPL.

Also have two covers carried on Viking A spacecraft first and last Turn Around Rollout convoy.

Apollo-Soyuz

Fred, can you post scans of some of your autographed Viking covers?

fredtrav

I will try. I have never posted a picture before so here is my first attempt.

Fortunately for astrophilatelists many managers, directors, scientists, technicians and other personal involved on the Viking program were willing to sign on remembering key dates of this amazing space program.

Here is shown a cover signed by Vincent G. Redmond, Viking Program Manager for ERDA (shame on lacks the cachet).

ERDA stands for Energy Research and Development Administration, based in Langley, responsible for the two 35-watt radioisotope thermoelectric generators called SNAP-19, located atop of the Viking lander and connected in series to double their voltage and reduce power loss.